So much for love and peace
by ShadowBYeBYe
Summary: The war is over, but still a grudge is held in the Earth Kingdom. What will happen when two of the leading ladies of the most powerful men in the world are taken as slaves?
1. Chapter 1

**Requested Fic for Dr Anthony. The story idea and the title belong to DR ANTHONY! I'm just the writer. If you like the story please review, but also let Dr Anthony know too.**

**Set after the war, let's say five years. Relationships: ZukoXMai, AangXKatara, MaiXOc onesided and KataraXMai friendship. I will try to updated this story every Monday. TRY!**

**Smiles and enjoy!**

**Yuck Factor: 0**

**Creepy Factor: 0**

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"I can't believe that Prince Jyn-Lee is already to marrying age." Katara said as they entered the grand hall. Mai let a brush of a shadow of a smile cross her face as she shook her head.

"He is the age we were during the war." She said with her usual melancholy tone. They turned and looked up at the throne. They both hesitated for a moment as they looked at the Prince sitting in his father's place. But after a moment they both bowed.

"Your grace, I am Katara, advisor to the Avatar." She said as she stood up from the bow. Mai followed suit also introducing herself.

"And I am Fire Lady Mai. We have come to discuss the conditions of trade between our great nations." Her brows worried as the prince looked down on the two of them, with a look that bordered disgust written across his face. He narrowed his eyes as he stood up.

"You two are accomplices to the Fire Nation and loyal to the Fire Lord. You are just as responsible for my people's torture as he was." Mai frowned and took a step forward.

"Our Fire Lord is a great man. He helped bring about the end of the war that caused so much pain, not only to your people but to thousands of millions of others." The young prince's face twisted in anger. He looked to the side as two large guards walked up behind the women. Jyn-Lee looked over the women.

"So you think because he is a good man in your eyes that the Fire Nation should not have to regret what they did? They should be punished for the lives they have taken. They should be brought to their knees, and their Nation fallen. Just as they did to my Kingdom." Katara frowned.

"The avatar fought for peace for this world! We are ambassadors of that peace. We come unarmed and alone into your Kingdom without guards or guides to prove that!" She snapped. Jyn-Lee's frown deepened as he stared at her.

"You are nothing more then whores of the men in power. Coming alone and unarmed to my kingdom was foolishness on your part." He said and turned around. Katara and Mai took steps back. Mai folded her arms into her sleeves, wrapping her fingers around the small blades pocketed in them. Before they could react they were both pulled violently into the ground. The two looked up as the prince walked down from his throne and over to them. He stopped just in front of them and snarled down at them.

"You can redeem yourselves though. Renounce the Fire Lord and the Avatar and pledge loyalty and life to me." Neither of the women even hesitated in their answers. They would not betray the Fire Nation, the world or their men. Jyn-Lee shook his head.

"Your arrogance doesn't surprise me. Welcome to the Earth Kingdom girls. You are officially slaves." Katara turned her head to look at Mai with wide eyes.

"You cannot do this! We are ambassadors of peace! Enslaving us will bring about another war!" Jyn-Lee smiled, his face darkening. He turned on his heal and walked away from the women, as the two large Earth bending guards pulled the new slaves from the ground. The girls struggled within the two large men's grasps. Katara dug her heals into the ground and threw her power out across the guard holding her. If she could concentrate hard enough on her blood bending she could get them out to there. She could feel the tendrils of power attempting to connect to the man, but she could also feel the weakness in it. She had forbidden herself to practice with it after the war, thus she crippled herself immensely.

Her eyes grew large as the panic rose in her chest, causing the fear to double. A quick glance at Mai, and the frantic movements and jerks of the normal docile and bland woman, gave her reason enough to be afraid.

The heavy handed guards threw them into the stairwell, and with a hearty push sent the regal ladies stumbling down the stairs. Mai growled as her ankle twisted as she stepped sideways on the step. She pauses as she tried to regain her balance only to be shoved from behind. She stumbled down the stairs her ankle screaming at her. Katara caught her as she stumbled again at the last few steps. The two guards were joined by two vicious looking women. Mai and Katara turned, putting their backs together to look at the women in the room and the men standing at the stairs. The two guards brought their hands up and sunk the two ambassadors into the ground.

The two earth-bending guards smirked as the two burly women walked over and knelt behind the ambassadors. Katara and Mai started struggling when they heard the scrapping of a blade being pulled for its sheath. The women tore the bands from the prisoners' hair and the crowning adornments that gave away their positions. The flash of blades fluttered over the Fire Lady's head as her black hair was jerked, ripped and mutilated taking the length over half. Advisor to the Avatar didn't get out of the situation any better.

Katara rattled off threats and curses as they jerked on her hair. Mai was not a silent prisoner either. Cusses and damning of peoples lineage could be heard through out the echoing branches of halls. One of the women brought up the handle of her shears and slammed it into the back of Katara's head, causing stars and blackness to dance in her vision. Mai, heard the thud, and heard Katara's voice drown off, causing the fear to boil up in her stomach.

They were thousands of miles from home, in a hostile land with no way of reaching the Fire Lord or the Avatar, and were being taken as slaves. They were in a lot of trouble and it seemed that they kept sinking further into the abyss, as Mai was struck unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

Katara blinked her eyes open as the pain rolled over her brain. She sat up and grabbed her forehead as the nausea rolled over her. Her eyes flew open wide as the memories of their arrival flooded into her mind. She looked around the tiny room, that held nothing but a bucket. She cringed at what she imagined it for. Her eyes made a scope of the tiny room again and she found Mai. She drew in a sharp gasp as she looked at her friend. Her silk and gold embroidered clothes were replaced with a dingy dress and her long ebony hair was butchered close to her head.

Katara brought her hand up then to feel her own hair. She almost cried when she felt the lack of it. She moved over and shook Mai awake. Mai opened her eyes slowly and looked around. The dark cell was small scarcely big enough for one person let alone two. The Fire Lady sat up and looked at Katara with wide eyes, but quickly the shock disappeared from her face, replaced by the cool unaffected face that she normally wore.

"Is there a way out?"

"How would I know?" Katara hissed and looked around. "I've only been awake a little longer than you."

"Don't get shitty, Katara. We are kinda stuck in this together." Katara looked the girl and nodded. Rancid smells surrounded them, and the dirt was moist under their fingers. The clothes they had on we blood stained and dirty. Katara was pretty sure that they had been that way when they were put on them.

The women didn't have time enough to think their situation through before the door flew open. Two of the large guards walked in and before the girls realized that they couldn't fight back, they were being drug off. Katara kicked and screamed as the notion of dehydration set in. She frowned and cussed at the guards as the separated her and Mai, leading them down separate tunnels.

"You will not get away with this! This is only going to start a war!" Mai cussed at the guard pulling her. He flung her to the ground and laughed.

"Oh? So you think that just because you two are fucking the men in control that they will start war all over just for you?" Mai growled and looked around the small room. Her heart sank when shes realized they were underground. It resembled mines that littered the Fire Nation mountains. Fear settled in the pit of her stomach. Fire Lord Ozai had used earth bending slaves to extract ore to make the prisons. Mai jumped up but the guard caught her and flung her to the ground again. She put her hands out to catch her self, but ended up falling into the dirt anyway. A swift kick to the chest sent her rolling. Mai growled as she pushed her self to sit up. She looked at the fire glowing in front of her. Her eyes widened as she swallowed back the terror that coursed through her. She masked over her fear with her usual melancholy monotone mask. Her eyes turned and she glared at the large guard.

A pair of hands grabbed her head, and she let out a scream. She kciked and clawed at the hands as she thrashed about. Two other large hand clamped down over her feet, and another guard grabbed her waist so that she was virtually pinned still.

Mai's eyes set on the glowing insignia as it inched closer toward her. She tried to bite back the scream that burned her throat but she could only hold in so much. The flesh bubbled on her cheek as the Earth Kingdom guard ripped the brand away from her. She was quickly tied as she writhed trying to hold her face. She forced her eyes open as she tried to clear the tears that blurred her vision. She heard Katara's voice as she made out her blurred silhouette.

"So help me when I get out of here.." But Katara's threat was cut off when the guard who led her chained wrists behind her back slapped her hard. She was forced to the ground, but still she struggled against the firm hands holding her to her knees.

The Earth Kingdom guards held Katara down on her knees as the lead guard picked up a brander with the earth kingdom symbol on it. He looked at her with an evil smile as he walked over to her, pressing it against her face.

The pain was unbearable and Katara cried out in agony as the brand was removed. Her face felt as if it would melt of. The numb icy feeling had signified to her that it would be a bad burn. The worst burns are always cold. The lead guard tossed the brand back into the fire pit and turned to look at the Avatar's leading lady.

"You and the Fire Lady are now property of the Earth Kingdom." With a hard kick to the back Katara was thrown to the dirt. Katara fell to the ground alongside Mai and cried. But there tears were wasted as the two women were jerked up to their feet.

"Come your majesties, lets show you to your new home." The lead guard said briskly. They were pulled, stumbling on their bare feet, along the rocky and sharp tunnel. They fought to maintain their balance as they entered a large cavern. Katara's eyes grew wide as she looked over the walls. Her heart sank. They were in the same cave that she and Zuko had been trapped in all those years ago. It was a tiny cave then, but it had changed into the immense cavern. The area where that she recognized was almost a mile over head. Rickety shafts and ladders spattered across the walls. People in dingy clothes were busy with picks and shovels tearing into the walls. The two women were forced to sit along the walls as the guards left. They watched in silence as the skin and bone workers heaved the heavy iron tools over their shoulders to drive them into the rock. Katara blinked as she looked at one of the girls closest to them. She turned and looked at Mai.

"Isn't that Jo Win?" Katara said grimacing as she looked over the Fire Lady's charred flesh in the earth Kingdom insignia. Mai narrowed her eyes to get a better look at the girl Katara was talking about. She shook her head and looked back to Katara

"I think so, but I haven't seen her since just after the war." She whispered, fearing that if she spoke to loud the guards would remember they had left them there. Katara felt the gash on her head where she had been knocked out start to throb. She looked over at the girl and narrowed her eyes. She would take her chances though.

"Princess." She said in a soft yell. The girl looked over at them with wide eyes. Her jaw fell slack as she dropped her pick. The small girl walked over to them quickly. Katara's heart sank as she looked over the little girl's once flawless face at the jagged scars that ran the length of her face. Her skin was loose over her bones as they stuck out at painful angles.

"Lady Katara, Lady Mai...gods have mercy he got you." The two women stared at the girl. She was just ten years old, but she looked as if she equaled the weight of a five year old. She feel to her knees and quickly untied the women's bound feet. The shackles around their wrist would have to wait until the guards decided to unlock them. Jo Win helped the two women to stand.

"What is going on princess?" Mai asked her tone a little harsher than she had meant. The girl's eyes grew wide as the fear that shot over her mangled face was more than obvious.

"Please, don't call me that down here. It's not safe...not safe." The girl said wrapping her gaunt arms around her thin frame. Katara and Mai turned to look at each other before they nodded to the girl.

"What is going on? Why has the king taken us hostage? Why are you down here!?" Katara's questions stumbled out of her mouth before she could even take a breath. The girl walked over and picked up her pick.

"The guards will be back for you to go to work."

"Jo Win, answer the questions!" Mai growled.. The girl shrunk between her shoulders.

"Father fell ill several months ago...since then my brother has twisted my father's mind into believe that the avatar and the fire lord are secretly planning to over throw our kingdom and build a new empire solely for the avatar to rule over with the fire lord as his second in command but because I saw what my brother was doing and tried to talk my father out of it I was taken as a slave as well because my brother has been imprisoning or enslaving the loyals for the past six months and has tried his hardest to keep the other nations from finding out." Jo Win took a deep breath as she finished her rush of explanation. Katara and Mai exchanged glances.

"You two! Get away from her!" Jo Win cringed as the lead guard's voice screamed through the cavern. Katara and Mai turned around and stared at the two large Earth Benders coming their way. Katara stumbled backwards as she tried to get out of reach, but the guard grabbed her. Mai had figured it better not to try and run.

"It's ten lashes for the both of them."


	3. Chapter 3

A scream sent shivers down Katara's spine as she nervously sat in the dark. There was absolutely no light in the small hold they had shoved her in. She ran her hands out along the wall. The small crevice was just large enough to hold someone sitting down or lying in a fetal position. The thought brought a rush of adrenaline laced fear to her mind. The screams rang again and she clamped her eyes shut, folding her hand over her ears. The tears formed in her eyes as she listened to the Fire Lady scream out in unbridled agony. She tried to put herself back to her home in the northern Air temple. Back in her safe little room with the soft wool blankets and the cool wafting breeze. She was almost dissolved into her thoughts when the screaming bright light blared into her vision. Forcing energy into her arms, she pushed herself into the corner trying to make herself the smallest she could. Through all of her attempts, however, she failed as the large hands grabbed her jerking her out of the hole. She fought, jerking her arms and thrashing her legs, but that only earned her a backhand across the jaw. A needle dug into her flesh as they pushed the bending-blocker deep into her veins.

"It's your turn girly." The voice was the deep and gruff one of the lead guard. She flung a mouthful of obscenities in his direction only to have her face slapped again. She forced her eyes open and cursed herself for pushing him. She had noticed rather quick that if the guards were to strike her or Mai, they made a point of hitting them on the fresh burn. Her hands were jerked up as she was drug into another room. She blinked hard as a beam of sunlight gleamed down on a spot in the center of the cabin. When the light faded from blinding her eyes she felt the pit of her stomach fall. A knot formed in her throat as she stared at the two wooden post sticking up from the ground. The leather, blood stained ties did nothing to settle her stomach. She jerked her arms back trying to get away from the guard that pulled her.

Through all of her fighting, she was, again, unable to get free. However, it did take three guards to hold her and tie her to the post. Her mind cussed in streams as she tried to mentally prep herself for what was coming. That first sting of the lash could never have been prepared for. The sering pain shot all the way through her and just as the sting started to wane another lash fell across her back, amidst her scream she heard the fabric shred. Her mind reeled in the minute between lashes as to how much worse the whip would burn after the clothes were no longer in the way. All too quickly she learned the answer as a wave of intense heat shot through her, a surge of pain unlike any she had ever felt. Tears tried to form in her eyes but they couldn't fall. She screamed out again as another lash snapped across her back. Slowly, lash by lash, she felt herself sag into the ties. She wanted to go home!

Mai rolled over pushing herself up from the ground. Dirt caked over her wrists where she had fought the ties. Her one true breaking fear was to be tied. She pushed herself to stand up uneasy legs as the guard watched her. She sneered at him and started to cross her arms, but the sting of the open wounds on her back as she moved her shoulders burned so that she couldn't.

"What did we do?" She hissed, not really expecting the dim witted guard to answer.

"Well, first off, you are you. We were given special orders to treat you two ladies extra nice, and second you spoke to the wrong slave." He laughed as he walked over to her. She frowned and watched him as he rebound her hands. There was a way out, there had to be. She knew sooner or later Zuko would know something was wrong. But that could be months. Without that damned bison to fly on, the ship ride along was three months away, and he had expected them to stay in Ba Sing Sei for at least three weeks to firmly settle the trading negotiations. Without warnign or provocation the guard knocked her to the ground. She let out a shriek as she fell back first onto the rocky ground.

"Ah what's wrong my lady? Don't like being bullied? Well maybe you should have thought about that before coming into hostile territory."

"Had we known it was hostile territory we would have never come." She growled as she tried to sit up. He only grinned and nodded. He walked over jerking her up by the elbow, her joints popping audibly.

"Exactly." He turned as the lashing guard drug Katara from the chamber. The girl was bloody and almost refused to walk. Katara could walk well enough, but she wasn't going to help the bastards a bit. If they wanted her anywhere they could drag her ass. She and Mai were tied together as the mini parade started over. Guard in front, two tethered prisoners in the middle and two guards behind. They were lead into a small cavern and picks were shoved into their hands. They were untied and shoved forward into the wall.

"You two will work if you know what is good for you." Katara growled at the guard as he left. IF he had only been a few inches closer she would have buried the pick in his skull. Or perhaps in his belly and watch him bleed to death. Dark, morbid, yeah but who the hell cares. She was a fucking prisoner for a over indulged spoiled prince that had a chip on his shoulder the size of Appa. As far as she could see she had the right to be morbid and ill wishing. She looked at Mai as they each stood frozen as statues.

"Now what?"

"I say we kill the guard and make a break for the next exit." Mai stated flatly and looked around. There were several branching halls and tunnels, and there wasn't a guess as to which one let out. She looked back at the pick in her hand and tightened her grip around it. Katara snorted and shook her head.

"What then? I think we need to be a little better prepared."

"Prepared for what, there dearies?" The two women turned with a jerk to see a rather large man walking toward them. He was dressed as they were, and dirty to the core of him, and he carried a shovel.

"Nothing." Katara hissed. She wasn't about to let her guard down, especially around someone the size of a house. The man cocked his eyebrow.

"Becareful girlies. I'll give ya one word of warning. No one is your friend here." He said with a smile and started shoveling beside them. Mai took the idea and started swinging the pick. Better to appear to be working than fall to the guards fury, especially if it meant being tied up again.

"Looks to me we are all in the same boat." She said glancing at Katara. Katara nodded.

"Yeah, why don't all to of us here just revolt against the guards."

"In case you two haven't noticed, the guards are trained soldiers, They are also all benders. None of us here can bend even if we wanted to." Katara nodded remember the hot fluid coursing through her veins.

"But still there is no reason for us to fight one another."

"Yeah well you haven't been here that long." He said and tossed a pile of dirt to the side. "You have to fight for everything. Meals, places to sleep, and your life. Another slave will kill you if they think they will get in good with the guards." Katara frowned as that settled back in her mind, and left a sour taste in her mouth.

"And you are another slave." Mai said flatly to the large man. He smiled and nodded.

"At least your learn quick. I'm just giving you fair warning. After tonight anything goes." Mai decided it was time to stop the conversation. Katara seemed displeased with his company as well, but their aggravation seemed to please the large man. "I should be a gentleman and at least give you fair warning about tonight..."

"Tonight?" Katara asked almost afraid of the answer.

"You will, as I said, have to fight for a place to sleep, I suggest you stay together and not draw attention to yourselves. The guards tend to take privileges with the slaves that make themselves stand out. And being who you two are, you are going to stand out easy."


End file.
